


A Change of Fate

by Charlie_the_Uncreative



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Family Dynamics, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:42:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28442619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlie_the_Uncreative/pseuds/Charlie_the_Uncreative
Summary: Philza meant no harm when he did what he had to do, when he had to kill his very own son. He didn't expect the wound to offer even a chance of survival. He was so certain he'd killed Wilbur.He was wrong.Technoblade found Wilbur in the nick of time, before anyone else could. He didn't save him just because he was his best friend's son, no. Wilbur was the only person who agreed with him that the government was a curse. He was the only person who agreed L'Manburg needed to be destroyed. Techno owed it to his one true ally during the rebellion, and he would do what he could.
Comments: 25
Kudos: 290





	1. November 16th

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [be my shelter from the storm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27780856) by [BananasofThorns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BananasofThorns/pseuds/BananasofThorns). 



> Due to the nature of this fic being based off the current arc, updates may be a bit sporadic. Just note that if a member of the SBI does a plot-relevant stream, I'll be cooking up a reply to follow.

**November 16th**

Technoblade stood in the rubble of L’manburg, breathing in the scent of smoke and ash. Screams rang in the distance, as did the roar of the Withers he summoned. He could feel the terror in the air. Not only that, but the anger and despair and sorrow. This had been their home, and now it was nothing but a crater.

The piglin marched through the ruined streets, his hooves clicking against stone. His cape flapped in the wind, a shock of color in the grey landscape. Everything was colored grey with smoke, the sun’s rays unable to pierce the overbearing smog. He had to squint and shield his eyes, or else risk being blinded by the ash.

Battle rang in the distance, but that wasn’t a concern to him. There was something he wanted to see…

Words were carved into stone walls, debri was scattered across the floor, and in the center of it all was a pool of blood around a broken Wilbur Soot.

Techno approached his fallen comrade. They’d grown close during the rebellion, and he was the only person who actually listened to his ideals. It was the least Techno could do to give him a proper burial.

He bent down and gently scooped Wilbur up in his arms, but something brought him pause. Slowly, oh so slowly, Wilbur’s chest rose and fell.

_He’s alive._

Swiftly, Techno returned Wilbur to the ground and unhooked a number of potions from his belt. Wilbur was lucky Techno was always prepared for things to go wrong, no matter how much he acted like he was invincible. The arrogance, while well-deserved, was moreso a show to intimidate enemies. It got harder and harder to not believe his claim when he managed to survive so much he’s been put through.

He gathered a number of instant health potions, eyeing Wilbur’s wound. Phil’s sword had sliced his side, the wound deep but survivable. _Barely_ survivable, but survivable all the same. Though his old friend meant best - Wilbur was his son, after all - it was cruel of him to cause Wilbur such suffering, left to bleed out rather than mercily cut down. Techno would do his best to right this wrong.

He slammed the splash potions against the ground, watching as the liquid turned to gas and flowed over the wound. The already-slow bleeding came to a halt, the very edges of the wound scabbing over. Instant health potions were better for healing smaller wounds, anyway. Something so large and near-fatal would require regen, which he didn’t tend to make…

They had to get to his base. And fast. He was certain the people of L’manburg would pillage all of his belongings once they took care of the Wither situation. He smashed another health potion against the ground, watching as it healed Wilbur’s smaller wounds.

With all that sorted out - for now - he once again lifted his fallen ally and hurried to his base. It would be risky, what with all the chaos going on, but there wasn’t time to wait.

Fortunately, the smoke offered some camouflage. Though the battle seemed to be winding down, L’manburg’s citizens were too shell-shocked to even _think_ of vengeance. He had some time, but he doubted it would be enough. He couldn’t stick around.

Bringing Wilbur into his base was another risk - one much more severe than just sneaking out of L’manburg, but he couldn’t leave the near-dead man outside. Techno covered Wilbur’s mouth and nose with one hand, clutched his arm around his wound, and dove into the water. Swiftly Techno dove into the elevator, the two men falling into the pool of water below.

Wilbur groaned when they landed, the sound so weak and frail Techno near didn’t hear. Okay, note to self, no more long falls like that. It should be fine, they wouldn’t stick around for long. Wilbur just needed his wound cleaned and bandaged, then they could get out of here.

Techno rested Wilbur against a wall. It probably wasn’t comfortable, but he wouldn’t be like that for long. Techno rifled through his potions chest until he found regen potions. He gathered bandages and water bottles from another chest and made his way over to Wilbur.

“This might hurt, but you’re asleep so it’s fine,” Techno said, crouching down and opening up Wilbur’s coat. His once-grey shirt was stained and tattered beyond recognition. Yeah, he wouldn’t be keeping that for long. Techno lifted the shirt until he could see the wound.

It was… nasty. Ash and soot had found its way inside the slice, certainly looking to infect it. Techno uncorked one of the water bottles and poured it over the wound. Now came the hard part… He scrubbed at the wound as he poured more water over it. Wilbur gave a low hiss, grimacing in pain. Techno made no move to apologize, considering he already warned Wilbur. (Even though Wilbur was unconscious.)

Finally, he doused the bandages with the regen potion before wrapping them around the wound. He pulled Wilbur’s shirt back down over the bandages before turning to his chests. He needed to take what he could before he left.

He gathered rarer materials first. Anything netherite, enchanted, or was hard to replace. All that went in an ender chest, to be recovered later. Next was weapons, potions, and food. It would be a long journey to the place he had in mind, and thus he needed to be prepared.

Finally, Techno solemnly turned to Hubert and Fool. He’d come back for them. They were much too rare to leave them behind, really. But for now, the only animal he could bring with him was Carl. He lifted Wilbur and stepped into another elevator, propelled above ground where he found Carl waiting.

“Alright, Carl, we’ve got a long journey ahead. I don’t wanna hear any complainin’, alright?” The horse blinked idly. Yeah, he wasn’t expecting a response.

Techno lifted Wilbur onto Carl’s saddle, keeping a steadying hand on him at all times until he was settled in the saddle behind Wilbur. He whipped the reigns and Carl took off at an uneven trot.

“Little faster, please.” Again he whipped the reigns, and Carl switched to a canter. Galloping would feel smoothest and the least jostling for Wilbur, but he didn’t want to risk exhausting his only ride. They’d have to take a few breaks on the way anyway, but at least this minimized the risks.

It was near midnight when they finally reached the village. Carl was breathing heavily, and Wilbur was starting to look worse for wear. Techno pulled Carl’s reigns to a halt and dismounted the horse. He’d found this place a few months back and did some trading but never returned, considering it was pretty far from… most civilizations. But now he could finally put this place to good use.

He waited for someone to notice him - there was always at least one villager awake - before giving them an expectant look. “D’you guys have a place to stay?” He asked, producing a small bag of emeralds from his cloak. The villager - a librarian who'd probably been lost in his own little book world or something - nodded and gestured for Techno to follow. He did so, leading Carl behind him. Quite frankly, he didn’t trust his horse to run off while he and Wilbur rested.

Or, well, while _Wilbur_ rested. He would’ve kept going through the night under most circumstances, but this wasn’t most circumstances. The villager opened the door to an unoccupied house, nodding to Techno as he entered. The piglin nodded in thanks as he settled Wilbur in the bed.

He sat against the wall and tried to rest, but found he couldn’t relax. With a sigh, Techno got to his hooves and exited the house, patting Carl’s flank as he passed. He had seen the undead creatures lurking toward the village. He glanced around and found not a single iron golem. Of course they hadn’t found a replacement. Well, at least fighting would keep him distracted.

Techno glanced up at the sun as it peeked over the horizon. He sighed and returned his crossbow to its holster, then turned to the waking villagers. Farmers began tending to their crops and livestock, and he could hear the distant crackle of a forge’s flames being brought to life. He made his way to a tower, knocking rather impatiently on the door. A few moments later, a tired-looking cleric greeted him.

“I need you to take care of my friend while I set up a better place for us to stay,” He said, immediately getting to the point. He produced a number of emeralds and dumped them unceremoniously in the unprepared cleric’s hands.

The cleric hummed with a hint of confusion, but soon began to count the emeralds as Techno led him to the house Wilbur was staying in. The cleric lingered outside for a moment, gazing at the emeralds with narrowed eyes. “If it’s not enough, I’ll give you more once I pick him up, alright?” The piglin grumbled. Finally, the villager went inside to do his job.

He paid no mind to the growing crowd and staring eyes. With a deep breath, he mounted Carl and began riding back to L’manburg. There was plenty more he needed to get before he could truly set up base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, it begins. I hope y'all are ready for pain and angst and all that. Don't worry about the lack of Wilbur so far, he'll wake up soon enough ;)


	2. Rebuilding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technoblade isn't starting completely over, but he might as well be.
> 
> A series of anecdotes taking place over a week as Techno salvages what he can from his old base and builds anew, all while trying to avoid L'Manburg's attention and keeping his new home a secret. But really, just as long as no one follows him he'll be fine, right?

“My _cows!_ ”

Technoblade stood beside his cowpen, staring at its emptiness. Urg, he should’ve _known_ L’manburg would strike back! They were stupid and cruel, deeming him the villain simply because they were the many and he was the few. They’d taken so much, but this was the final straw! The cows were innocent, had done no wrong during the entire Rebellion, and yet they had been slaughtered.

And yet _he_ was the villain.

He was about to mourn about the unfairness of it all more when he heard a quiet moo. His ears flicked and nose twitched.

“A survivor.” He followed the sound until he found a lone cow cowering in a hole. He pressed a solemn hand against its cheek.

“I’m sorry this happened,” He murmured, feeling much more guilty than he should’ve. “I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again, okay? We’ll bring you to a safer place and find you more friends.”

After bringing the cow to his secret stables and reminding himself that he should probably bring the rest of his horses to his new base, he finished gathering his belongings and once again mounted Carl. He was about to leave when he heard an angry call from behind him.

“ _Technoblade!_ What’re you doing here?”

“This is my _base_ , Tommy,” Techno snarked, turning to the young brit. They glared at each other for several beats, neither making any move to attack or flee. Finally, the piglin shot Tommy a humorless grin. “I see your people made themselves at home.”

“After what you’ve done, we more than deserve to have our pick of everything,” Tommy snapped in reply. “Besides, _you_ said we could have whatever we want.”

“That was for the Rebellion,” Techno growled, narrowing his eyes. “And you guys killed my cows! They were innocent!”

“Yeah, but killing them made you upset, didn’t it?” Tommy’s smirk made him infinitely frustrated. How could he act so cocky about the murder of innocents?

“And yet I’m the villain,” Techno huffed. “I’d say what you all did to my base is much worse.”

“You blew up L’Manburg!” Even though Tommy was wrong about that, seeing his fury made Techno smile.

“You mean _Wilbur_ blew up L’Manburg?” Tommy growled and curled his hands into fists.

“You summoned two Withers! They ignited the TNT!”

“Oh, is that so?” Techno laughed. “And here I thought I was arrogant when you’re the one giving me all the credit.”

“Y--”

“Oh, I’m sorry for contributing 5% of the damage! _Bahahahah!_ ”

Tommy growled and drew a netherite sword, shimmering with enchantments. “ _Would you just shut up!_ I don’t care who blew it up! You killed Tubbo, summoned two Withers, and tried to kill everyone when we tried to fix everything!”

Techno was quiet, but his grin didn’t falter. His shoulders shook with a chuckle.

“After everything you’ve been through, Tommy, you’re still just a kid.”

“What? What’s that supposed to mean!”

But Techno was already gone, riding North. He glanced over his shoulder to be sure Tommy wasn’t following. He wasn’t. They stared at each other for a moment, before Techno looked forward yet again.

He didn’t have time to argue with Tommy. He had a base to build and a Wilbur to keep alive.

xxx

Two days had passed when Techno finally finished his base. Well, _almost_ finished. There was always more he could add, but it was good enough for now. It was small, homely, and could hold all Techno had. So, yeah, basically finished.

He returned to the village for the final time. The villagers stared at him as he entered, as usual. He’d checked in on Wilbur several times a day as he was building his base, and now was the day he’d finally bring him to a place he considered safe.

He dismounted Carl and stepped into the house, immediately warmed by the fireplace crackling inside. Wilbur was still asleep - definitely a coma - with the village cleric redressing his wounds. The cleric glanced up as Techno entered, before turning back to what he was doing.

“How is he?” Techno asked, pausing at the villager’s side. The cleric gave a hum, explaining he was better but wouldn't be waking up for a while. That was good. Wilbur had been steadily improving. And honestly, the longer he was asleep, the better.

“Well, thanks for helpin’ him out. Here.” Techno offered the cleric two more emeralds - which he happily accepted - before scooping up Wilbur and making his way outside.

Wilbur shivered as the arctic wind blew past. It was reasonable, considering the last time he was outside was three days ago and it hadn't been quite as cold. But at least Techno had set up base nearby. Wilbur wouldn’t be freezing for very long.

The duo mounted Carl and rode North for half a mile. Wilbur leaned heavily against Techno the entire ride, and honestly if he wasn’t unconscious Techno would think he was trying to steal his warmth. It was kind of funny to imagine the paranoid Wilbur was snuggling against him.

Okay, maybe not that funny.

The journey wasn’t that long. Wilbur was fine spending eight minutes outside, especially when the sun was at its warmest. (Okay, okay, not everyone was built for the cold, but it was fine. He’d be fine.) They came upon the house soon enough. Techno dismounted Carl, taking Wilbur with him, and headed inside.

The veteran relaxed considerably the moment they entered the house. It was warm and well-insulated, with a fire crackling on the second floor.

With a grunt, Techno shifted Wilbur so he was slung over his shoulder and began climbing the ladder to the top floor. He’d added a room for Wilbur beside his own, one that couldn’t be seen from the outside. Though he was in hiding right now, he didn’t want to take any risks with anyone spotting Wilbur.

Finally, Wilbur was settled in his own bed. Techno sighed and leaned against the wall. _Finally_ the two of them were at least somewhat settled. Now he’d be able do his own thing. 

Rescuing Hubert and his one cow were top priority. Fool could come too, of course. Maybe he could make a few farms. He’d probably meet up with Philza for all that.

But for now, he’d sleep.

xxx

“Okay, so what’s the plan?”

Techno and Phil stood on the shore of the lake housing Techno’s old base. They had ‘borrowed’ some boats from L’Manburg - not like they needed them - and now needed to move Techno’s pets from the old base to the new one.

“Hubert and Bob are chill,” Techno explained, stepping into the lake and wading toward the elevator. “Fool will be difficult. I took his bow, but he’s still a problem child.”

Phil laughed and nodded. “Of course, of course. So one of us gets the mobs and the other takes Bob?”

“Pretty much.” Techno dove under the water, needing to swim only for a moment before his elevator swept him up and brought him down.

He landed in a pool of water and turned toward where the mobs had been staying. Hubert was allowed some free range most times, but he had to be hidden with Fool or risk being killed. He opened up a trap door and revealed the pumpkin-headed duo.

“Come on, you two. We’re movin’.” Techno helped Hubert up first. He was much more trustworthy than Fool, who was currently clattering angrily and trying to claw at the piglin. Yeah, that was to be expected.

With a bit of struggle, he managed to get both of them into the elevator. He watched as they were launched unceremoniously to the surface. Off they go, probably to terrorize Phil until he got there.

Techno waited a moment before stepping into the elevator himself, shooting to the surface. As he landed, he heard a cry of anger.

“Technoblade!” Tommy shouted, standing at the crest of a nearby hill. “What are you doing here?”

Great.

Techno elected to ignore him, simply leading Fool and Hubert into their boat. Phil watched sympathetically, although he was too busy dealing with his own problems with Bob to help.

“Hey!” He shouted, running down the hill with a sword in hand. “Answer my question!”

“Oh my god,” The piglin sighed, rolling his eyes. “Tommy. This is my base. I live here!”

“Nuh-uh, not anymore!”

“Yeah, that’s why we’ve got these guys,” Phil interrupted. “Techno’s moving house.”

“ _Good!_ ” Tommy spat, glaring daggers at Technoblade. “We don’t want you anywhere near L’Manburg! If we even see you here again, we’ll kill you!”

“Wh-- This isn’t even L’Manburg land.” Techno furrowed his brows.

“It’s close enough! I won’t stop anyone if they try to get rid of you!”

“Alright, fine,” Techno said, getting into his boat. He was sure to be seated between Hubert and Fool so they wouldn't fight each other. “We’re just about to leave.”

“Yeah, you’d better leave,” Tommy snapped, glaring daggers at the piglin. Techno’s ear twitched and he glanced at Tommy over his shoulder.

“Don’t act so cocky, Tommy,” He snarled. Tommy opened his mouth to reply, but Techno continued, “You’re about to be _exiled._ I’m certain one of your so-called friends will say the same when you’re leaving.”

“Wh- They won’t!” Tommy argued, bristling. “They don’t _want_ to exile me! Dream’s forcing them to!”

“Yeah, yeah. Blame everyone else for the consequences of your own actions. That’ll serve you well.” Techno turned away and began to row. “Come on, Phil. It’s a long ride and we wanna be there before dark.” Phil nodded, though there was worry in his eyes.

Fortunately, the mood would lighten considerably during their journey.

“Phil, can we trade?” Techno asked, glancing at his old friend. Phil regarded his current situation for a moment, watching as Fool assailed Techno as best it could without any weapon and its hands tied.

“Uhhhh, no.”

The duo laughed at Techno’s misfortune. The sun was beginning to set, which would mean the land part of their journey would be rough. The pair of them rowed in quiet for a moment before their banter picked up again.

“So you’re living up North?” Phil asked.

“Yyyup. Like, all the way North.”

“Oh, good. I’m in the complete opposite direction.”

They chuckled.

“On the plus side, if they find one of us they won’t find the other, eh?”

“That’s true,” Phil agreed with a nod.

“Of course it’s true, you know Technoblade never lies.” Phil chuckled and nodded.

“Yeah, I know.”

They finally made it to shore by midnight. Techno stepped out of the boat, the snow crunching beneath his hooves. He glanced at Hubert and Fool, who were struggling to get out. He chuckled.

“Alright, Bob and Hubert will be easy,” He said, helping the zombie piglin out of the boat. “Fool’s the problem child.”

“Should we make two trips?”

“Nah, I got it.”

Once Hubert was safely on shore, Techno hefted Fool over his shoulder like a potato sack. He took Hubert’s hand as Phil laughed and began marching toward his house.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got Bob,” Phil assured with a chuckle. “And, uh, just an innocent question. How do you plan on making more cows?”

Techno groaned and leaned his head back. “Guess I’ll… kidnap another cow, since L’Manburg thought they had the right to slaughter all of mine.” Phil nodded solemnly.

“I’m sure the village you saved would be happy to ‘offer’ a cow,” He suggested. Techno laughed.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” They were nice to take care of Wilbur, but he knew it was just because he was paying them. Fortunately he wasn't against stealing from villagers. “But for now we should just get Bob settled. We’ll take a cow later.”

The walk was rather serene compared to the chaos of getting everyone in the boats. Though Fool was clattering rather loud and angrily, he couldn’t do much to hurt anyone. Hubert grunted, likely not a fan of the cold.

Soon enough, Techno’s house came into view. Both breathed a sigh of relief.

That is, until they saw a shadow moving about on the second floor.

“Watch Hubert and Fool for me,” Techno said as he unsheathed his sword, the netherite blade shimmering with enchantments. He rather unceremoniously dumped Fool into Carl’s pen for now, trusting the horse to take care of himself.

The piglin stalked into his own house and climbed the ladder to the second floor. Half of him hoped it was just Wilbur, but the other half dreaded explaining to Phil.

His dark eyes met a brilliant purple, and an enderman’s garbled speech met his ears.

Techno dropped to the first floor with a sigh of relief. “It’s just an enderman!” He called, opening the door for Phil. “We’ll just let him be.”

“Really?” Phil asked with a raised brow. “ _You’re_ letting him be?”

“Hey, I got a good feelin’ about him.” Techno shrugged. “Plus, another pet couldn’t hurt.”

“Well, I guess that’s true. You’ve already got an angry skeleton, I don’t think you could do worse.” Techno laughed.

“Yeah, yeah. C’mon, let’s bring these two to the basement. I’ve got a good spot to keep Fool.”

With some insults, rattling, and pinched skin, they managed to get Fool into his corner. Hubert had, unsurprisingly, been absolutely useless during the whole affair.

Finally, Techno and Phil were relaxing beside the fire, Edward the Enderman nearby. He seemed to like the fire and wasn’t causing any trouble, so he could stay.

“Hey, Phil.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve got something for you.”

Techno got to his hooves, Phil watching with some confusion, as he made his way to his enderchest. He produced a compass and a pair of emerald earrings. He gave the compass and one of the earrings to Phil, who took both with quiet respect.

“What’s this?” He asked, cupping the earring in one hand and the compass in the other.

“Phil, I have to tell you something,” Techno said, sitting beside his old friend. “You're the only friend I have left in this world. Which is why I want you to have the compass. I'm going into retirement right now. I'm giving up on my violent ways, but if you ever need me Phil, I will fight for you. I will do whatever it takes to help you.”

“All this, for me?”

“For you, the world, Phil.”

They were quiet for some time, the only sound the crackling of the fire. Words weren’t needed right now. What was there to say? Techno’s gifts said the world and more.

“Hey, Techno,” Phil said.

“Mhm?”

“I have something for you, too.”

Phil fished his own gift out of the enderchest. He revealed a notebook, shimmering with enchantments, and gave it to Techno.

“It took me a long time to make this,” He explained, sitting beside his friend. “I have my own. Whatever you write in this, I’ll see in my notebook, and vice versa.”

“Damn, Phil,” Techno breathed, running his hand across the leather cover. “This must’ve been a nightmare to make, huh?”

“Oh, it was worse.” Phil chuckled. “Lots of trades, lots of magic, and a few favors. But it was all worth it.”

Techno grinned. “Heh, no kiddin’. I hope you know I’ll be buggin’ you with this.”

“Oh, don’t worry. That’s the whole point.” The duo laughed, then fell into a comfortable silence.

There weren’t many times Techno felt so calm, so safe. For just a moment, he wasn’t thinking about Wilbur or Dream or L’Manburg. It was just him and Phil.

He’d cherish this moment as long as he could

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A less plot-heavy chapter that just foreshadows future events for ya. I doubt it's what anyone wanted, however originally the three stories were all separate parts, and I'm sure y'all prefer only one lighter chapter compared to three. I promise the next chapter will be more interesting!


	3. The Execution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno had lived a comfortable five weeks in retirement. Wilbur caused no problems, Phil and he met up often, and he hadn't seen a member of L'Manburg since he moved to the arctic.
> 
> Of course, things never stayed comfortable for Technoblade.

**The Execution**

A month had passed since Techno gave Philza the compass. Wilbur still hadn’t woken, but he _was_ getting better. No one had come to bother them, except Dream but that was expected. No one could go anywhere without Dream being there.

He stepped inside his house, done taking care of the animals for now. The bees were doing good, the turtles were laying eggs, the cows - yes, _cows._ He found another one - were all fed, and Hubert and Fool were doing alright in their basement. He opened his enderchest and pulled out the enchanted journal Phil had given him. He flicked it open to see if he had a message.

_“They know where you are. Get ready, old friend.”_

“ _EH?_ ”

Oh, this was bad. This was very, very bad. Techno hurried to grab a quill and inkpot and frantically wrote.

_“Who is they?”_

The reply came in only a few moments, but it felt like an eternity.

_“Quackity found it. He and a gang are coming for you.”_

Panic shot through Technoblade. Oh no no no no! He wasn’t prepared for battle! He was in retirement, for gods’ sake! He began rushing around the house to gather materials and make potions, unable to reply. Good thing Phil knew what he needed to know.

_“They have netherite.”_

“I thought they were broke!” Techno roared, even though the only person who would care was asleep. Edward watched as he ran back and forth, grabbing all of his gear and materials to make potions. He began brewing as fast as he could, putting on his armor in the downtime.

_“Quackity, Ranboo, Tubbo, and Fundy.”_

This was not good. Not good at all! _Ugh!_ Why couldn’t they let him stay in retirement?

He ran through the snowy fields to a pool of water, smashing the ice and filling as many water bottles as he could hold. He was frantically yelling at himself to _gogogogogo!_ There wasn’t time to waste!

_“Hurry, they just left.”_

“I AM HURRYING!”

He was hurrying as much as he could. The second floor stank of all the potions he was making, the smells enough to overwhelm anyone.

“I don’t have rockets,” He said. “I can’t make them. I don’t have dye!”

“I need strength potions, I need strength potions.”

“ _Where are my arrows?_ ”

“Gapples, I need gapples!”

“My weapons, where did I put them?”

“Oh gods I am not prepared for combat.”

Technoblade grabbed all of his weapons desperately. He slung his trident over his shoulder, holstered his crossbow, sheathed his sword and axe and pick. Did he not have more? He… he thought he did.

More potions. He needed more potions. Turtle potions. Those were good. And fire resistance, and healing. Gods he needed so many potions.

“I’m out of water bottles…”

He sprinted across the winter landscape, the moon now high in the sky. If he remembered the journey correctly, they’d show up at dawn. That didn’t give him much time…

He frantically brewed the water into potions. He needed splash potions. All of them needed to be splash potions.

“I have pearls, I have pearls!”

“Brew, brew, brew!”

“I need more speed potions…”

He was shouting wordlessly now, a low, distressed rumble that was doing no good.

“Stay here, Edward,” He said to his enderman companion. “It’s not gonna be safe.”

Finally, when he was done gathering everything he could possibly make, he climbed upstairs and entered Wilbur’s room. 

Wilbur was still asleep, thoroughly unconscious for however many more days. Techno had changed his shirt from the tattered, stained mess of a t-shirt to a pale blue sweater. His jacket was hanging off the bedpost, and his boots and gloves were left on the floor. A fire crackled warmly, painting the room a golden orange hue.

If Techno wasn’t having a crisis at the moment, he would’ve thought the scene peaceful.

It was nearing dawn. The retired warrior made his way downstairs and leaned against the wall, right beside the door. He took a deep breath as he readied his crossbow and his potions. He’d do his best to talk his way out of this, but…

It probably wouldn’t be enough.

\---

The cottage was peaceful this mid-morning. A fire crackled warmly, smoke curling from the chimney. Cows mooed peacefully outside, and an enderman warbled as he sat beside the fireplace.

In the quiet of the morning, Wilbur Soot woke.

He sat up, wiping his eyes with the palm of his hand. Where… was he right now? Whose bed was this? What was he wearing?

He slipped out of the bed, his legs quaking beneath him. His muscles ached and the light was far too bright. Still, he had no intention of standing around and waiting for the bed’s owner to find him. He slipped on the rest of his clothes and pushed open the only door.

The next room was a… bedroom-enchanting room combo. His gaze swept across the room, until he spotted the clue he needed.

A golden crown, embedded with numerous gems.

Technoblade.

Wilbur slid down the ladder until he was on the ground floor, stumbling backward upon landing. His gaze fell upon a poster that only confirmed his thoughts.

_Fight Tyranny. Join Pogtopia Today._

That’s what they were supposed to do, huh?

But enough about that. Where was Techno? He didn’t seem the sort to leave a stranger in his house and go off on an adventure. He was probably nearby.

Wilbur opened the front door and came upon… quite the scene. The snow was littered with footprints and stained red. A fight had broken out, and by the looks of it Techno had lost.

But that wasn’t right. Techno didn’t _lose._ He hadn’t even been severely injured during the War for L’Manburg! There was something foul at play, and Wilbur would find out what it was.

He went back inside the cabin for some gear. He couldn’t go out to find out what the hell happened without weapons, could he? A sword and bow were all he needed. With great difficulty considering how many chests Techno had, he found what he needed.

He slung the bow and quiver over his shoulder and slid the sword into a sheath, then opened the door and began following the footprints. As he left the scene of the battle, the footprints became more distinct. A human’s shoes, the pawprints of what he could only fear was a fox, the three-toed claws of an enderman, the distinct cloven hooves of a piglin, and the hoofprints of a horse.

They must’ve found Techno’s horse and used it against him. That’s the only way they could’ve won the battle. There must’ve been a reason he was still alive, and it was because they were taking him somewhere. And Wilbur knew exactly where.

L’Manburg.

When Wilbur finally reached the shore, he spotted a pair of villagers attempting to get a boat into the water. They seemed pretty young, probably teens. When they finally noticed him, their eyes went wide.

“You’re going after Techno, aren’t you?” Wilbur asked. The pair nodded and began to explain. A party of four had kidnapped him and his horse and had traded with the village for an appropriately sized boat. They all went South, toward a place called L’Manburg.

It was all Wilbur needed to hear.

“Well, you two can go home,” He said, waving the villagers off. They seemed hesitant until he added, “I’ll be sure to bring him and Carl back.”

When the duo had finally nodded and left, Wilbur kicked the boat into the water and began rowing as though his life depended on it. It kind of did now that he thought about it. The last thing he remembered was being stabbed by Phil, and next thing he knew he was in Techno’s base. It didn’t take a detective to connect the two dots.

Now all he could do was hope Techno had bought him some time. The warrior would surely make things difficult for L’Manburg, but with his best horse’s life on the line how much could he do?

\---

“Technoblade, this is actually not a trial.”

Techno stood, trapped in an iron cage, the top open but a risky climb. The cool night breeze blew through the bars, tugging at his pale cape now stained red with blood. After all he did to avoid it, he still gave in to violence. Fate is a cruel mistress, isn’t it?

“This is not actually a trial,” Quackity repeated, a massive grin splitting his face. He gestured upward, his gaze following his hand. “Do you see that tower?”

“I actually don’t,” Techno lied, trying to buy himself some time. Quackity ignored him.

“When we pull that lever, it’s gonna drop an anvil on you and it’s gonna fucking kill you.” Quackity seemed so proud of his little execution chamber, the grin never leaving his face. Techno snorted.

“All I see is a wooden plank. It’s all a matter of perspe--”

“Technoblade, there is a fucking _anvil!_ ” Tubbo screamed, his hands curled into fists at his sides. He looked like he wanted to say more, but Quackity quickly spoke over him.

“This is not a trial, Technoblade, we are going to kill you.”

Techno took a breath. His hand brushed against the pocket sewn into the back of his cape. There he felt the metal of a Totem of Undying, humming with magic. All he needed was to hold onto it when they pulled that lever, and he’d be home free.

“Tubbo,” Quackity continued, “could you do the honors of explaining to our audience what’s going on here.” The piglin’s attention was brought to the crowd before him, sitting in anticipation. He hadn’t noticed them before, but… now he could see a decently sized crowd waiting for his death.

Ouch.

“Technoblade has _robbed_ our country,” Tubbo began, standing on the stage just beside Techno. “Robbed it of everything that made it special, of everything that defined what it was.

“He stepped in when he shouldn’t have. He ruined the government. Punz is throwing-- _oh shit!”_

The execution was rather suddenly interrupted by Punz dropping in. Everyone was beginning to panic and shout, fleeing from the newcomer. Techno saw why in less than a moment.

Punz scattered sticks of TNT all over the audience’s stands. People were screaming and frantically trying to flee while others attempted to get the TNT off the platform and into the water below.

“Fuck it!” Quackity screamed above the chaos, breaking away from the group chasing Punz. “I’m pulling the lever!”

“ _What!_ ” Techno shouted, his hands going to the hidden pocket and gripping the Totem with the might of a god.

“Pull the lever Big Q!” Tubbo screamed as he struggled with Punz, who dove into the water once it seemed his TNT had run dry.

Techno heard the hiss of redstone. As the anvil plummeted toward him, it was lit by a harsh light from above.

The people’s desperate cheers were cut short. Someone screamed _“RUN!”_ , and Techno thought he heard a hiss. Any hope he had of figuring out what was happening was cut short abruptly.

He did not feel the pain in the moment, but he certainly did afterward. Everything ached and burned and cracked with each movement. But he didn’t have time to think about that. They were distracted, and that’s what mattered.

He clambered over the iron bars as people shouted and ran. He heard Quackity, Tubbo, and Fundy shout in shock and outrage.

“What! What!”

“How did he survive that?”

“What’s going on!”

Techno spotted a familiar horse in the distance with a green-clad rider atop him. He began running as fast as he could, trying to ignore the L’Manburgians behind him. He’d have to thank Punz for the distraction later.

He paused for a moment beside the carved entrance of a tunnel. He took deep-ragged breaths and turned to look behind him. The platform he had once been caged upon was destroyed, a smoking pile of rubble. People were frantically swimming toward land as fire rained from above. He followed the line of fire until he could see the archer, standing atop a crane.

Though his savior was silhouetted harshly by the lanterns and lights of L’Manburg, Techno knew who it was. Their eyes met, and the piglin gestured behind him. Wilbur gave a quick, curt nod before returning to his assault.

The archer turned back to L’Manburg’s citizens, all floating helplessly in the water below. He was much too high for their arrows to reach him, and only Technoblade was armed with fireworks. Keeping them distracted was almost too easy, especially with Punz’s help with TNT.

It was like the final battle all over again, except this time no one could recognize the tyrant among their ranks. He’d teach them that L’Manburg didn’t exist anymore, that this was just a poor man’s recreation of something that couldn’t be.

But now was not the time for that.

He climbed down the crane he’d been standing upon as swiftly as he could, shooting at those who tried to reach him mercilessly. When he reached the ground, he began running toward the only place Dream could’ve led Techno: The Final Control Room.

Wilbur hesitantly entered the tunnel where his dreams had been crushed. He took a deep breath and continued through, pausing when he came upon a rather gruesome scene.

Techno was on top of a broken, bloodied Quackity, gripping a pickaxe stained red. Their eyes met, and Techno grunted.

“He’ll wake up soon. Let’s go.”

Wilbur knew what he really meant. Only three lives, and that had been Quackity’s second. Now they were on even terms.

“Get on Carl.”

“Huh?” Wilbur glanced away from Quackity. He’d been so lost in thought, he hadn’t noticed the new tunnel in the room. Techno huffed.

“Wilbur, I can only assume you’re standing right now from adrenaline alone,” He said. “Just get on Carl so I don’t have to worry about you falling over.”

Wilbur sighed but compiled without further argument. It was a bit of a tight squeeze with how low the ceiling was, which was probably why Techno was in front leading Carl by the reigns.

They eventually found their way into the sewers, a place Wilbur remembered well. It seemed all of L’Manburg had bad memories tight to it. No wonder he wanted to blow it all up.

“Hey, Techno,” Wilbur called. “I need to ask you something.”

A hum was the only confirmation that Techno was listening.

“What happened? L’Manburg looks nothing like when I last saw it, and what was Quackity’s deal? He was acting like _he_ was president.”

Techno sighed. He knew this was coming. Welp, may as well rip off the bandaid now that he had the chance.

“It’s been a month, Wilbur.”

“A month?”

Techno glanced at Wilbur, who… didn’t look to be all there at the moment. He was gazing ahead at nothing in particular, his mouth curled into a small frown.

“Yeah. And a lot’s happened. I went into retirement, L’Manburg’s been rebuilt, Tommy was exiled. It’s a lot of stuff I don’t really care about.”

“Wait wait wait-- Quackity exiled Tommy?”

“ _Tubbo_ exiled Tommy, actually.”

Wilbur went silent, unable to form his thoughts into words. How could this have happened? Tubbo was there to witness how bad Tommy’s first exile had been. What could’ve driven him to exile his best friend?

“Honestly I don’t care about all that,” Techno continued, seemingly oblivious to Wilbur being lost in thought. “All that matters is that L’Manburg tried to execute me without a trial. We could’ve gone our separate ways, but they just _had_ to drag me into their business. But if they want a fight, I’ll give it to them.”

Wilbur hummed, more to himself than Techno. Still, it was all the assurance he needed to keep going.

“I’ve tried the whole ideals thing and it didn’t work out. I tried just violence and everyone treated me like a tool. I tried just peace and they dragged me into fights. Now I’ll just treat others how they treat me. Those that have treated me with kindness, I will repay that kindness tenfold. And those that treat me with injustice, that use me, that hunt me down, that hurt my friends, I shall repay that injustice a thousand times over.”

Techno’s hands curled into fists at his sides. He went through so much trouble to follow ideals that got him nowhere, and L’Manburg was the primary culprit. _They_ were the ones using him, _they_ were the ones goading him into battle. Of course, he couldn’t shove all the blame onto them. He should’ve known better than to stick to one truth and nothing more.

They traveled through the sewers in silence, the only sounds that of Carl and Techno’s hooves and the running water. It was a tense silence, reasonable considering what they just went through.

It was a mercy when they finally surfaced and could begin riding through the fresh air. Though it was a bit strange for Techno to be riding with a very much awake Wilbur, at least he wasn’t worried about his poor ally falling off the saddle. L’Manburg loomed behind them as they fled to the shore, where a boat was waiting for them.

“It’s plot armor,” Techno joked, though they both knew the true reason for such convenience. Wilbur grunted and gave a nod. Techno sighed. This would be a long trip.

It was nightfall by the time they made it to Techno’s cabin. It was a comforting sight in most cases, especially after a day like today, but nothing was ever easy.

The front door was wide open and a figure was running for the hills.

“Stay here, Wilbur,” Techno said, sliding from Carl’s saddle. “I’ll tell you when it’s safe.” He gripped the pickaxe Dream had given him with an iron grip and chased after the figure, who was currently being assaulted by skeletons.

“Oi! Oi! You gonna help or just chase after me?”

Who would it be other than Tommy? Techno swung the pick at the skeletons, smashing their skulls until they were nothing but dust.

“Took you long enough!” Tommy snapped, brushing off his nethe-- where’d he get netherite armor? He was in exile! He’s supposed to be broke!

“What’re you doin’ in my house, Tommy?” Techno asked, getting straight to the point. Tommy froze.

“Uh-- _well…_ How’re you?” The teen asked, shuffling toward Techno’s house.

“ _What’re you doin’ in my house, Tommy?”_

_“How’re you?”_

_“What’re you doin’ in my--”_

“You are a _bitch_ is the nice way to put it!”

Techno froze and blinked. Tommy continued toward the front of the house, looking like he had more to say, until the tip of an arrow was pressed between his eyes.

There was silence for a moment, no one daring to move a muscle. Wilbur’s eyes were dark and angry. What had pissed him off so much?

“Woah, calm down!” Techno said, not really looking for more violence. He was furious at Tommy at the moment, but he wasn’t cruel enough to murder a kid in exile. “Put the bow down, Wilbur. He’s just bein’ annoying.”

Slowly, much too slowly, Wilbur lowered the bow and let the string go slack. He and Tommy continued to stare, and why wouldn’t they? He didn’t think either was expecting to see each other again.

“Wilbur?” Tommy began, his voice so terribly small. “Y… you’re alive?”

Wilbur nodded. “I am.”

“And… you’ve been staying with Technoblade?”

“I have.”

“Even after what he did to L’Manburg? Even after he blew it up? He ruined everything!”

“ _No_ , Tommy!” Wilbur shouted, causing the younger boy to flinch. “ _I_ blew up L’Manburg, and it was supposed to stay blown up! You all rebuilt what should’ve stayed dead! You… you brought the dead horse back to life so you could keep kicking it!”

Tommy took a step back, blue eyes wide and frightened. “B… but…”

“No, no. There is no _‘but,’_ ” Wilbur continued, dark eyes smoldering with anger. “Why couldn’t you guys just let L’Manburg rest in peace? It was dead the moment Schlatt came into power, and now you guys are doing the same thing he did. At least he had the decency to call it something else and wasn’t pretending it was the same L’Manburg I fought for!”

“Wilbur, that’s not true!” Tommy said, desperately attempting to get a word in while his brother paused for breath. “We’re making it right. We’re fixing everything Schlatt did wrong.”

“Then tell me, why were you exiled?”

Silence.

“Why was Techno being _executed_ without a trial?”

“I--”

“What happened to the walls? The safety? Everything I worked so hard to build up is gone! Because _L’Manburg_ is gone! And you guys can pretend all you want that it’s not, that you’ve rebuilt it, but you haven’t. L’manburg is _dead!_ ”

“Wilbur.” Technoblade stepped between the brothers, placing both hands on Wilbur’s shoulders. “You’re gonna exhaust yourself yellin’ like that. I’m guessin’ you know where your room is?” He nodded. “Alright. You head up there and get some sleep.”

He didn’t look too happy to leave, but he did, slamming the front door shut behind him. Techno sighed and glanced down at Tommy.

Poor thing was a wreck.

Techno gave a quiet groan. This isn’t how he imagined things to go. Of course, he didn’t imagine Tommy showing up at all, but he was hoping the reunion wouldn’t be like this.

“Look, I don’t know what you were doing in my house, and I’m not particularly in the mood to find out,” Techno said, nearing the front door. “So are you gonna stick around and freeze or go back to your little exile island?”

“I--” Tommy’s voice caught in his throat. He pressed his lips in a thin line, clearly trying not to cry. Techno sighed and pinched between his eyes.

“Clearly you’ve been here for at least a while,” He said, approaching Tommy as the poor boy sank to his knees. He’d probably been here as long as his things started going missing, but that's besides the point. “Where’ve you been stayin’ all this time?”

Tommy made no move to reply. He sniffled hard and gripped his arms tight. Okay, so maybe asking questions wouldn’t work. Or asking him to do anything, for that matter. Techno sighed.

“I’m gonna pick you up, okay?” He asked. Tommy nodded stiffly. “Alright.” Surprisingly gentle, the piglin wrapped his arm underneath Tommy’s arms, draped one of Tommy’s arms across his shoulders, and stood. Techno practically carried Tommy up the stairs and into the living room before setting him down on the couch.

The fire was a merciful warmth compared to the arctic night chill. Edward paid Techno and Tommy no mind, just some quiet ambience to go along with the crackle and pop of the fireplace. The room smelled of smoke and potions, and the couch Tommy sat upon was worn and a little scratchy, but not uncomfortable.

Once he was sure Tommy would be alright, Techno headed to the kitchen. He was there for a few moments before returning, sitting beside the young brit.

“I’m makin’ tea,” He said, resting his elbow on the armrest and cheek in his hand. “I need something to help me calm down.”

Tommy didn’t say a word. He sat straight and stiff, his gaze focused on the ground and hands gripping the cushion in a white-knuckled grip. Techno snorted.

“Looks like you could use some tea, too. You’re lucky Phil taught me a thing or two, otherwise it’d just be leaf juice.”

No reply. Even after trying to goad one out of the kid. Jeez, this would be rough.

“Right, well, you’re clearly not gonna answer me.” He stood, unclipping his cloak and hanging it on a hook by a window. “And it doesn’t look like you’ll be movin’ anywhere. I’m just gonna watch this tea to make sure it doesn’t boil over.”

Techno gave one last glance at Tommy, still stiff as a board, before leaving the living room. He leaned against the counter as the tea was brewing, massaging between his eyes. How’d he end up taking care of his mentor and closest friend’s two kids? He was supposed to look out for himself only, not some kid and a madman!

But things never went how they were supposed to, did they?

He returned with two mugs of tea to Tommy now curled into a tight ball, a familiar brown trench coat draped over his shoulders. Well, at least Wilbur still had a heart.

“Here. It’s hot.” Tommy took the mug robotically. He stared at his reflection in the tea for some time. Techno wasn’t sure if he was hesitant because he thought it was poisoned or because he was about to cry. At this point the former would be preferable.

The piglin drank in silence. The tea wasn’t as good as Phil made it, but it was still pretty good. He remembered when they had tea at the end of every day, a ritual that started after a particularly nasty training session.

When he finally looked back at Tommy, he was crying. His face was screwed up in a valiant attempt to hold back the tears, but it hadn’t worked. His throat bobbed and shoulders shuddered every few seconds, but no sound escaped him.

Techno had no idea how to handle this. He could deal with Tommy’s anger and hate just fine, but sadness? No way, man. He couldn’t do this.

“Erm…” Oh gods what did he say? “Look, why don’t you tell me what happened?”

Tommy murmured something Techno couldn’t hear.

“You gotta be louder, Tommy.”

“You were right,” Tommy croaked, his voice thick with emotion. “He… he _exiled_ me. And Dream, he-- he--”

The dam broke. Tommy doubled over and sobbed. Techno slipped the tea from his hands before it could be spilled, watching as big, fat tears rolled down the teen’s cheeks.

“He took everything. A-and he blew it all up! And… and I thought I c-could come _here_ b...because you said you… you said you changed. B-but then _Wilbur_ was here! We all… we thought he was dead! I just… I…”

His voice broke, and all he could do was cry. He wiped his face on Wilbur’s coat, but it was soon soaked with tears again. Techno let him, promising himself he’d clean the coat once Tommy was done with it.

He let Tommy cry until he had exhausted himself, his sobs now quiet sniffles. Techno sighed and placed a hand on Tommy’s shoulder.

“Just... go to sleep, Tommy. We’ll talk about all this in the mornin’.” He got to his hooves as Tommy laid down on the couch and curled up tight, trying to fit all of himself under Wilbur’s coat. Techno left him there as he headed upstairs.

The three of them would discuss in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's awake, lads? That's right. It's Wilbur. And Techno's adopted a Tommy! The SBI crew is growing. They've just gotta save Phil and the whole set will be completed.


	4. The Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno, Tommy, and Wilbur discuss what's to come.

**The Morning**

Techno, Tommy, and Wilbur sat around a too-small table, the scene lit only by the early-morning light peeking through the windows. Eggs were set out in front of all three of them, though Techno was the only one who ate them normally. Tommy practically inhaled the food, whereas Wilbur didn’t eat at all.

It was silent, no one wanting to begin the necessary conversation. Well, Tommy and Wilbur didn’t want to start it. Techno just didn’t like to hold a conversation while he was eating. When he finished, he finally spoke up.

“Right, we’ve got a lot to discuss,” He started, leaning forward. “First of all, Tommy-” The boy pricked up upon hearing his name- “where have you been stayin’ all this time?”

Tommy twiddled his thumbs, looking anywhere other than the other living beings in the room. “ _ Welllllll _ , uhhhhhhhhhhh--”

“Just spit it out, Tommy,” Wilbur snapped. Tommy flinched.

“Um… Under your house…” Techno sighed deeply, pinching between his eyes.

“Of course you have.” This is why he didn’t like the kid. “And I’m guessing you’re the one stealin’ my stuff.” Even though it wasn’t a question, Tommy tried to give an excuse of an answer. At Wilbur’s glare, he nodded.

“I… wouldn’t call it  _ stealing _ , exactly, but, yeah, I’ve been taking some things.”

“Mhm. Well, I’m gonna need those things back.”

“What!” Tommy exclaimed, shooting to his feet. “You don’t even need all that stuff, you’ve got plenty of shit!”

“Tommy, you stole my gapples, emeralds, and potions! I kinda need those!”

“Wha-- b--  _ Ohhhh _ you greedy bitch! You’ve got plenty more than I stole!”

“ _ Tommy. _ ” The teen flinched and went silent at his brother’s voice, looking like he’d been struck. “Stop it. We’ve got better things to discuss than the fact you were caught stealing. Now sit down and quit yelling.”

Slowly, Tommy sank into his seat, eyes wide and shameful. Well, at least he shut up.

“I’ll take my stuff back later. More important is hidin’ you from Dream, since I doubt he’s happy you ran off.” Tommy nodded solemnly. “Alright. Invis potions are a must. That and a hiding spot.”

“He could fit in a barrel,” Wilbur suggested. “Just hop in and pop the lid on and Dream won’t find him.”

“What if he opens the barrel?” Tommy asked, his voice much too quiet.

“That’s what the potion’s for,” Techno explained. “Plus, most people don’t go snoopin’ around in others’ belongings.” Tommy shrank under both’s glares.

“Next on the list is how long I let you two stay.” Wilbur and Tommy turned to Techno, their attention captured. Techno narrowed his eyes and turned to Wilbur.

“You’re stayin’ until you’re healed fully,'' He said with a note of finality. Wilbur nodded. It wasn’t like he had anywhere to go. Then, Techno turned to Tommy, who fidgeted under his gaze.

“You, though, have done nothin’ but steal from me so far. You’ve been a raccoon livin’ under my floorboards. I should kick you out right now.

“ _ But _ you can be useful to me. You and I have somethin’ in common. L’Manburg’s hurt us, scorned us, and stolen from us.  _ All _ of us.” His and Wilbur’s gazes met. “Your discs, my weapons, Phil. So I say we team up and strike back.”

“But… I… Tubbo isn’t holding my disc  _ hostage _ or anything!” Tommy argued. “If we ask, he’ll just give them back, right?”

“Tommy, Tubbo exiled you,” Wilbur said. “Something’s changed between you two. I don’t think he’ll just give your disc back.”

“ _ Exactly _ ,” Techno said with a nod. “What I’m sayin’, Tommy, is that I want to help you get your discs back, but you need to help me with somethin’.”

Tommy’s brows furrowed in thought. “You… you killed Tubbo, right?” Techno raised a brow and nodded.

“Yes, that was a while ago.”

“Mhm.” Tommy got to his feet, marching toward the door. “Goodbye.” Wilbur only watched as Techno got to his hooves and followed him outside. The elder brother sighed. Tommy was too stubborn about this.

He could hear the two arguing. Techno was insistent Tommy couldn’t get the discs on his own, meanwhile Tommy was more than confident in his own skill. Wilbur got to his feet and made his way to the door, pushing it open and watching the argument unfold.

“Tommy, how successful have you been in getting your discs back so far?” Techno asked, his voice carrying across the snowy fields. Tommy was silent, simply walking away. “Have you ever been close? Have you even  _ seen _ your discs since you gave them to Dream?”

Tommy froze in his tracks as Techno approached. “I  _ want _ to help you, Tommy. You and I can be mutually beneficial. If you help me get my gear, I’ll help you get your discs.”

“How do I know you’re not lying?” Tommy asked, glaring at the piglin. Techno grinned.

“Technoblade never lies.”

“What about betraying us? What about killing Tubbo?”

“He never lied about any of that.” Tommy flinched at Wilbur’s voice, turning to his brother. “Techno made it clear he doesn’t like governments. And he made it clear he wasn’t on our side.”

“Wilbur?” Tommy asked, his brows furrowing. “What’re you saying?”

“I’m saying I was wrong to expect him to help us reclaim L’Manburg.” Wilbur frowned as he said it, his eyes going dark. “I was desperate then. He joined Pogtopia to take down Schlatt, not to put another one of us in power.”

Tommy blinked and opened his mouth, trying to think of what to say. Finally, he sighed and nodded.

“Fine. I’ll… I’ll help you get your gear back. But  _ only _ that! I’m not in the ‘destroy L’Manburg’ business.”

Techno grinned. “It’ll only be minor terrorism. Just to get my gear, then we’ll let them destroy themselves.” He began heading back to the cabin and gestured for Tommy and Wilbur to follow him. They did so, though Tommy hesitated when Techno passed the cabin.

“Where’re we going?” The teen asked, his brows furrowing.

“Somewhere important,” Techno responded, unreasonably cryptic. “Don’t freak out, I’m not takin’ you to your death or somethin’.” Tommy didn’t like the sound of that, but it wasn’t like he was going to back out now.

Finally, they came upon the side of a mountain, rather inconspicuous looking. Techno grinned and gestured to a spot a few paces away from a somewhat flat cliff face.

“I need you to stand right here.”

“Will we die?” Tommy asked, despite already being told otherwise. Techno snorted.

“‘Course not, I would’ve stabbed you a while ago.” Tommy’s frown deepened, though he and Wilbur stood where Techno told him to. Techno strided to the wall, grinning.

“Y’see this wall?” He asked, turning to the brothers.

“...Yes,” Tommy said as Wilbur gave a curt nod.

Techno brushed away dirt and pebbles, revealing a stone button. His and Tommy’s eyes met, and the piglin nodded to the button. The teen glanced at Wilbur, desperate for some sort of support. All he did was nod.

With a sigh, Tommy hesitantly pressed the button.

The cliff face rumbled and a hidden door revealed itself, the stones scraping against each other as the door lowered. Light poured in, revealing a large chamber filled wall-to-wall with hanging Wither Skulls.

Tommy  _ screamed. _

“Welcome home, _nerds_ _! _ ” Technoblade roared, striding into the vault and throwing his arms open. He burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. “Ohhhh, we’re gonna do so much  _ violence! _ They shouldn’t have messed with the Technoblade!  _ Ahahahahah! _ And they thought  _ two _ Withers was bad!”

Wilbur stepped inside, eyes wide. His mouth quirked into the smallest of smiles, one that brought Tommy so much dread. He rushed inside, desperate to gain control of the situation.

“Woah woah woah woah woah!” He called, waving his arms. “You said minor terrorism! This isn’t minor!”

“We’ll work out the details later,” Techno said, marching through the vault until he came upon an armor stand adorned with enchanted netherite. He picked up the helmet, which was perfectly smithed to fit him and him alone. Tommy approached, peeking at the armor with envy. It wasn’t hard for Techno to notice.

“Didn’t you have armor?” He asked, turning to Tommy. “You were wearing it every time we met before your exile.”

“Yeah, uh… Dream kinda destroyed it.”

“Dream?” Wilbur asked, coming up on Tommy’s right. “Why would he bother with that?”

Tommy glanced at the floor and crossed his arms, his mouth twisting in a scowl. “He was the one who ordered my exile in the first place. He acted all upset and said it’s ‘cause I burned George’s house, but I know it’s ‘cause he’s afraid of me.”

“Afraid of you?” Amusement edged Wilbur’s tone. “Why do you say that?”

“‘Cause  _ I’m _ the only one he can’t control!” Tommy exclaimed, throwing his arms open. “I’m the only one willing to fight him! For fuck’s sake, he’s got both of you wrapped around his finger!” Wilbur’s amusement died quickly, his gaze quickly returning to the wither skulls lining the walls. Techno, on the other hand, snorted a laugh.

“Right, right,” He said, sarcasm dripping from his tone. “Dream can control  _ me _ .  _ Hah! _ Believe me, Tommy, the only reason we work together is ‘cause we want the same thing.”

A tense beat of silence passed.

“And what’s that?” Tommy asked, his tone dark.

“Anarchy.” Techno grinned. “Dream and I want anarchy.”

Tommy swallowed thickly, then turned away. Wilbur hummed, looking like he had something to say. However, he kept his mouth shut.

“Look, if it makes you two feel better, I can call Dream homeless to his face and survive,” Techno continued, only partially joking. He laughed at the memory of spying on Dream as he tried and failed to build a house. How pathetic.

“Wish I could’ve been there to see that,” Wilbur said with a snicker. “But at least I know that I’m not the only one who’s made fun of Dream and gotten away with it.”

“That so?” Techno asked, turning to Wilbur with a smirk. “What’d you do?”

Wilbur turned away, his smile twisting into a frown. Tommy frowned, then turned to Techno. Well,  _ he _ could explain if Wilbur didn’t want to.

“When we won the war, we changed the Declaration of Independence,” He explained, a smile spreading across his face. “Wilbur read it to Dream. It went a little something like,  _ YOOOOOOOO, SUCK IT GREEN BITCH!” _

Techno burst into laughter, snorting loudly as he did so. Tommy breathed a metaphorical sigh of relief. At least he managed to prevent things from getting awkward.

“ _ Wow _ . Now  _ that _ earns some respect.” Wilbur shrugged.

“I thought you only had respect for me because I blew up L’Manburg.”

“Hey, so, uh,” Tommy interrupted, wanting to end talk of destroying L’Manburg before it got out of hand, “do you have anymore armor, perhaps?”

Techno nodded, turning to the iron armor he’d just replaced. It would be a bit big for Tommy, but it’d do him some good to have. He gathered up the armor and gave it to Tommy.

“This’ll do until I can get you something that actually fits,” The piglin said, ruffling Tommy’s hair before putting the helmet on. “Same goes for you, Wilbur.”

“I don’t need any armor,” Wilbur said, quickly shutting down the idea of being made any. Techno raised a brow.

“Not havin’ armor nearly killed you in the first place. Are you sure you don’t want any?”

Wilbur’s gaze darkened at the reminder, any possible amusement from the previous interaction gone in an instant. “I’m sure, Technoblade. I don’t need armor.”

Techno shrugged. “Suit yourself. At least it saves me some netherite.” He turned and headed out of the vault, gesturing for Wilbur and Tommy to follow. “There’s nothin’ useful in those chests, just some stuff that might be good later. C’mon, before I lock you in.”

Tommy hurried out, not a fan of the idea of being trapped in the vault. Wilbur followed at a more leisurely pace, his gaze lingering on the skulls. How long had Technoblade been gathering these? How many wither skeletons had he slain? Perhaps more than the vault suggested, hidden away in an enderchest.

He seemed quite prepared whatever was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Claps loudly* So uh, not a whole lot happened on the SMP this weak, but what HAS happened has me hella excited. I'll do what I can to integrate some of that into the plot, but some things (like the whole resurrection thing) won't work. Hopefully y'all aren't too disappointed.


	5. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the week after the attempted execution passes, Techno is forced to juggle babysitting Tommy, caring for Wilbur, and getting his gear from L'Manburg. Hopefully he can catch a break.

A week had passed. A week of Wilbur improving and Techno getting his stuff back from Tommy. A week of relative peace. It wouldn’t last forever, would it?

Of course not.

A shape crested one of the hills - a tall, thin figure of a familiar hybrid. Techno’s grip tightened on the pickaxe Dream had given him. Though he and Tommy were cutting down trees currently, the enchanted pick was leagues better as a weapon than the dinky diamond axe.

Ranboo paused several paces away, keeping a safe distance.

“Ranboo,” Techno greeted coldly. “You’d better be here to return my gear, ‘cause I won’t be kind otherwise.”

Ranboo held up his hands and nodded. “Yeah, uh… That’s part of why I’m here.”

“Part of?” Techno asked, raising a brow. Tommy shoved his way between the two, glaring daggers at Ranboo.

“Get out of here!” He snapped. “You’re not welcome!”

“Hey, hey,” Techno interrupted, placing a hand on Tommy’s shoulder and guiding him out of the way. “Calm down, Tommy. Ranboo, do you have my gear?”

“Uhhh, yes! I do. Some of it, at least.”

“C’mon, then,” Techno said, turning toward his side door and leading the way. “I have an enderchest if you need it.” Ranboo nodded and followed. He seemed glad to finally be inside, no longer having to worry about the snow. Techno didn’t really know what he was, but apparently he and water didn’t get along well.

He brushed past Edward, who was fast asleep beside the fire, and gestured to the enderchest. Ranboo followed, opening the chest and rummaging through it. Finally, he revealed netherite armor, shimmering with enchantments.

“Wh-- my armor!” Techno exclaimed with a mix of shock and joy. He was tired of poor-fitting armor with lesser enchantments. He shed the replacement set and began donning the familiar netherite.

“Yeah, Tubbo wanted me to hold onto it,” Ranboo explained. “He, Quackity, and Fundy are gonna make getting the rest of your gear difficult.”

Techno nodded, gazing at the shimmering armor. Then, he asked, “Why’d you bring me this? The rest of them will be furious.”

“Yeah, I know,” Ranboo sighed. “It’s just… I didn’t agree with all that. They pressured me into kidnapping you. I just needed to apologize.”

“Hmph. Well, tell you what,” Techno began. “It’s a start.” Ranboo nodded. It was the best he’d get.

“Well, I should probably get going,” He said, backing toward the door. “Everyone at L’Manburg is probably wondering where I am.”

“L’Manburg, huh?”

Ranboo whipped around to face Wilbur as he descended. He landed on the floor with a harsh thud of his boots, eyeing the hybrid with suspicion.

“Uh… yeah,” Ranboo stammered with a nod. Wilbur’s eyes narrowed.

“You were there during the execution.” It wasn’t something that needed confirmation.

“Yeah, I, uh…”

“He was pressured into kidnapping me,” Techno interrupted, getting between the two. “Just like I was during the Festival. Remember that?”

Wilbur nodded. As if he’d forget. That was the day it was all supposed to end, and the day it all went wrong.

“You’re new to L’Manburg, aren’t you?” Wilbur asked, nodding to Ranboo. “I haven’t seen you around before.”

“Yeah.” Ranboo nodded, shuffling backward toward the door. “I guess that’s why I’ve never seen you, either. I’m Ranboo.”

“Wilbur.”

Ranboo was quiet for a moment, and Techno couldn’t help but facepalm. Oh boy. He’d prefer the news didn’t spread too fast.

“Like, Wilbur Soot?” Ranboo asked, his brows furrowed. “Founder of L’Manburg? Everyone thinks you're dead!”

“And it should stay that way,” Techno said. Ranboo was about to argue, but Techno interrupted. “If people find out he’s alive, it could mean trouble. They’ll be wonderin’ where he was the past month, and I’m confident there’ll be some pissed-off people who’ll come to kill him for blowing up L’Manburg.” Okay, maybe he was projecting just a bit.

“Look, my point is it’ll be safest if Wilbur’s kept a secret until he’s ready.”

Ranboo nodded solemnly. “Even Phil?”

That caused Techno pause. He and Wilbur glanced at each other, the latter’s eyes dark with despair.

“Even Phil,” Wilbur confirmed.

“Alright.” Ranboo took a deep breath. “Well, I’m off.” He pushed open the side door and padded down the steps and past a rather pissed Tommy. Techno and Wilbur were content to just watch, but Tommy had a different plan in mind.

“We don’t need his pity things,” The teen snapped with a scowl. “We’ll do fine without them.”

Ranboo paused, glancing at Tommy over his shoulder. He raised a brow, his mis-matched eyes alight with confusion.

“Is this about the pickaxe I gave you?” He asked as Techno and Wilbur stepped outside.

“Yes!” Tommy exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “This is about your stupid pity pickaxe!”

“A pity pickaxe?” Ranboo asked. He shook his head. “Tommy, you have to realize that nothing I ever did for you was out of pity. Nothing.”

“Wh… Then why’d you even give it to me?”

“Because you helped me out in L’Manburg. You stood up for me back there. So I felt like I owed you, and now we’re even.”

Tommy hummed. That was… reasonable, he supposed.

“Alright…”

Ranboo nodded, then turned and continued South. He disappeared over the distant hills.

“Well, now that we’ve avoided disaster,” Techno said, “this is good.”

“What’d you mean?” Tommy asked, furrowing his brows.

“I mean we’ve got a potential friend in L’Manburg.” The piglin grinned.

xxx

The cabin was… quiet. Surprisingly. Techno could only assume this was a bad thing, like when a toddler goes silent after breaking something. But he couldn’t really be bothered to look into it at the moment.

He was too busy trying to get Wilbur to actually eat.

“You had a bite of bread, I’m not letting you leave yet,” The piglin rumbled, no happier than Wilbur was about the whole situation.

“I’m an adult! I don’t have to listen to you,” Wilbur argued, though he made no move to leave the table. They’d been over this many times over the past week, and at this point both of them knew how it’d go.

“My house, my rules,” Techno said. “If you’re not happy about it, go build your own house.” There was a beat of silence. Wilbur’s brows furrowed in thought, and Techno immediately sighed.

“Don’t tell me you’re actually thinking about it.”

“Well, I don’t expect you want Tommy and I to live with you forever.”

“Oh, of course not!” Techno snorted. “But there’s no way in hell I’m letting you do any manual labor like this.”

He gestured at Wilbur’s… everything, really. Techno was well aware Wilbur was a beanstalk in most circumstances, but tending to him made Techno realize just how underweight he was. He’d done his best to feed Wilbur while he was in a coma, but it was a bit difficult when Wilbur would be only, like, a quarter awake and definitely  _ not _ lucid during those moments.

“Look, I appreciate it, but I’m  _ really _ not hungry right now.” Wilbur’s voice brough Techno out of his thoughts. In a moment he was halfway to the door, and Techno was hot on his heels. Before Wilbur could get through the door, Techno had snagged his hood and yanked him back.

“Nope, you’re not leaving until you finish your food,” The piglin said. Before Wilbur had even a moment to argue, Techno picked him up and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He dunked Wilbur back into his chair and returned to the seat across from him. “Your soup’s gonna get cold if you don’t eat it.”

Wilbur made no move to eat, nor to escape. At least he wasn’t running off, but at this point it was getting a little disheartening. Techno was  _ lucky _ if he could get Wilbur to eat more than a few slices of bread, and even then he’d only eat one meal max. Techno desperately needed a bargaining chip at this point, because he knew Wilbur wouldn’t do it for himself.

“...You remember my execution, right?” He eventually asked. Wilbur nodded. “Well, they put Phil under house arrest. He’s stuck in L’Manburg.”

Wilbur’s free hand curled into a fist where it was resting atop the table. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want you to help me rescue him.”

Wilbur raised his head, giving Techno his full attention. Perfect.

“ _ How _ ever, you won’t be much help in your current state. I can’t trust you not to pass out during the escape.”

Wilbur opened his mouth to argue, but Techno knew he had him caught. He fought back his smirk as he finished, “Just a few meals a day for a few days. That’s all I ask. Then you can help me.”

A beat of silence passed between them. Neither was willing to back down.

But soon enough, Wilbur caved.

Techno smiled as Wilbur hesitantly nibbled on his bread. And as soon as he started ‘sneaking’ spoonfuls of soup for himself, Wilbur began eating that, too. A warm smile crossed the piglin’s face as he leaned back and supervised.

It much too soon when Wilbur couldn’t stomach any more. Techno didn’t force him to continue, though. He was smart enough to recognize when someone would be ill if they kept eating.

“Three days from now we’ll go,” He said. Wilbur nodded. “You should get some rest. I’ll wake you up when it’s time for dinner.”

“Since when were you so worried about my health?”

Techno blinked. He… wasn’t particularly sure how to respond to that. He wasn’t sure of the answer. When he closed his eyes and thought back, he couldn’t recall a time where he cared for anyone else’s wellbeing. Except for Phil’s, but even then it took a while to go from mentor and apprentice to close friends.

“Guess it was when you did my job for me,” He finally said with a shrug. Wilbur smirked.

“I think you’re just a big softy.” His tone was lighthearted, definitely not mocking like Techno had expected. He laughed.

“Tell me that next time we spar. I’ll show you who’s a softy then.” A challenging grin replaced Wilbur’s smirk.

“We’ll see who the  _ true _ softy is.”

“It’s Tommy, right?”

“No, its-- Yeah, it’s Tommy.”

The pair laughed. And while Wilbur’s laugh was quiet and restrained, it was a laugh all the same. This was a victory in Techno’s eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This should (hopefully) be the last chapter with a few anecdotes rather than a full story. I was gonna include an anecdote where Dream shows up and Wilbur is the only one to cover for Tommy, but I couldn't find the motivation for it. Sorry y'all, perhaps another time.


	6. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur and Techno attempt to rescue Phil from L'Manburg

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some implications of s!cidal tendencies in this chapter. If that stuff makes you uncomfortable, I suggest you skip from when Wilbur returns to the cabin to the switch in POV. I'll include a summary of what happened between then at the end of the chapter.

Wilbur and Techno stood at the front door of the cabin, going over the gear they had and what their plan was. Tommy was sulking nearby, fishing through one of the numerous chests in an effort to spite the piglin.

“Why can’t I help?” He whined for the dozenth time. He fished a bow and some arrows from the chest, the latter of which Wilbur promptly reached for. “I’m a good enough shot to keep everyone distracted. And no one in L’Manburg would hurt me.”

“Just two of us is enough risk,” Techno said, slipping on his helmet. “I barely have enough invis potions to last us the whole mission. One more person could be the difference between getting away and being caught.”

Tommy pouted, plucking at the bow’s string. “I just don’t get why you’re taking Wilbur. You keep treating him like a fragile old lady. I would’ve thought you wouldn’t want him going anywhere.”

Wilbur frowned at Tommy’s comment, his narrowed gaze sliding to Techno. The piglin grumbled something under his breath, then said, “Look, I kinda promised I’d take him if he took care of himself. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be safe sleepin’ at night if I lied about that.” Tommy’s frown only grew.

“Well… if you leave me behind, I’ll steal all your shit!” He shouted. Techno snorted and shook his head.

“And where’ll you go with it?”

Tommy opened his mouth to argue, but was quickly interrupted by Techno tossing him a bag of emeralds. “If you’re gonna bug anyone, make it the villagers. We need seeds so we can start a farm. I don’t wanna be too reliant on them for food.”

“Ugh,  _ fine _ , but if Dream shows up and kidnaps me, I’m blaming you bitches.” The teen grabbed a cloak to keep him warm and marched outside, grumbling to himself the entire time. Techno rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know how you dealt with him for two wars,” He said as he passed Wilbur some ‘propaganda’ posters. They were meant to distract everyone from Phil’s escape, apparently. “He’s aggravatin’.”

Wilbur simply shook his head, a sigh leaving his lips. “It wasn’t easy, trust me. But he’s passionate about what he’s fighting for. The problem is he’s impulsive and reckless. He doesn’t think things through.”

“Isn’t that kinda problematic in war?” Techno asked, leading the way outside. “It really messed things up durin’ the festival, at least. And his obsession with the Prime Path got us caught.” Wilbur nodded.

“I know he means well, but he screws up often. I don’t trust him with stealth missions at this point.”

“That’s why I’m not lettin’ him come,” Techno explained. “I admit, he’d be a great distraction, but I have a feelin’ he’d get us all caught.”

“Tubbo makes him a while card.” The piglin rose a brow. He knew Tommy and Tubbo were close, but were they really close enough for Wilbur to call his own brother a wild card? “Have either of them told you about the Disk War?”

“I’ve got no clue what that is.”

They climbed over a hill, the Portal in view.

“Well, six months before L’Manburg, Dream stole Tommy’s music disks. Tubbo helped him get them back, but it was difficult. From what I know, it lasted nearly a month, just the three of them going back and forth with those stupid disks.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I just don’t know why they mean so much to him, but they won us L’manburg so at least they came in handy.”

“Damn. I didn’t realize those two were goin’ through war for so long.”

“Yeah. I guess since Phil’s a warrior, it rubbed off on those two.”

“And what about you?”

“Hm?”

They were standing at the portal, the violet sheen rippling and crackling with light.

“I mean, you’re Phil’s oldest son. Didn’t his lifestyle affect you?”

Wilbur nodded solemnly. “It did. He retired before I was born, but everyone’s heard the tales of Philza. For the longest time I was just ‘the Angel of Death’s son,’ destined to be a warrior. Even after you showed up, people still expected me to be as great as him.

“I’ll be honest, Techno. I’m no warrior, and Phil was the one who showed me that I didn’t need to be. He taught me that peace was better than violence.”

He frowned, his voice bitter. “But I think we both know he was wrong.”

Techno watched as Wilbur disappeared through the portal. This reunion might be rougher than he expected.

He stepped into the portal after Wilbur, feeling the heat of the Nether against his skin. It felt like home.

“Alright, here’s the plan,” The piglin said as he began to walk to the stone and obsidian bridge. “You’ll distract everyone by hangin’ up those posters while I get Phil. We’ll meet back up at the cabin. If you get in trouble, scare them however you can. No one even knows you’re alive, so as far as they know you could be me or Dream.”

Wilbur nodded the entire time, although he knew all of this already. He and Techno had gone over the plan before. Then again, he supposed it was good to be absolutely sure about everything going in.

They arrived at the small temple housing the portal to the Dream Smp. Techno unclipped an invisibility potion from his belt and slammed it against the ground. The liquid swirled around the duo, hiding them from view. Then they were off, heading through the portal and to the Smp.

It was… warm. Wilbur had almost forgotten what it felt like to be comfortably warm. The fires Techno made tended to be overwhelming, especially compared to the usual arctic chill. But here, the air was warm and comforting. It had to be nearing the middle of autumn at this point, which would be bad back at the cabin.

Techno was already gone, leaving Wilbur to his own devices. He knew he had his own task to do, but he just wanted to enjoy this for a little longer. He doubted he’d return anytime soon.

He took his time walking down the street, looking around to see what had changed in a better light. New buildings had cropped up, unfamiliar people milling about, and, of course, wanted posters of Technoblade.

Most of the posters were ugly enough that he didn’t feel guilty tearing them down. He left the crumpled shreds on the floor as he put up the posters Techno gave him. Honestly, though, he knew that these wouldn’t be up for very long. It was a shame. Techno knew some brilliant artists. Wilbur wondered where he met them.

Finally, he passed through a tunnel and came upon the new L’Manburg.

He’d seen it during Techno’s execution, but at the time he was too busy saving his savior to really get a look at things. Now that he got a better look, he was forced to admit that they’d done a good job of rebuilding.

The craters had been filled with water with fish swimming about. Platforms were built above the lake, the wood creaking beneath his boots. Brand new buildings surrounded the ruins he knew. He wondered who lived there now, who saw all that L’Manburg had gone through and still thought it was a good idea to live there.

Well, it didn’t matter. He had no sympathy for anyone who called themself a member of L’Manburg.

There was one last poster he had to deal with, so of course it had to be the best looking. They must’ve hired an actual artist for the wanted poster, perhaps one who’d seen Techno himself. The portrait wasn’t all accurate, but it was certainly close enough that people would actually know who to look for.

Techno would love it.

Wilbur was much more careful taking down this poster. He cut it off the wall as best he could, being sure the portrait wasn’t ruined. As he worked, he heard someone shout.

“Hey! Hey, what’re you doing!”

He spun around and his grip tightened on his dagger. Tubbo ran toward him, fumbling for a weapon of his own. Wilbur was quick to strike first, slamming the handle of the dagger into Tubbo’s nose. Tubbo’s head snapped back while his legs continued forward, looking horribly cartoonish as his legs left the ground and he fell.

In a second, Wilbur had Tubbo pinned to the ground and the blade of the dagger pressed against his throat. Tubbo’s breathing quickened, his eyes going wide with fear. Wilbur firmly covered Tubbo’s mouth with his hand to be sure he didn’t scream.

A crossbow bolt sliced Wilbur’s shoulder. He hissed and clutched the bleeding wound, his face twisted with pain. Tubbo’s foot slammed into his knee, making him lose his balance and tumble to the ground.

“Tubbo!” Quackity cried. “Get out of there!” Tubbo clearly didn’t need to be told twice. He scrambled to his feet and fled as Wilbur rose. He quickly replaced his dagger with a netherite sword, shimmering a deep red in the light. Quackity approached swiftly, raising his axe above his head and swinging it down at Wilbur’s head.

Wilbur sidestepped the blade as he smashed as many potions as he could against the ground, quickly feeling their effects. Quackity stumbled back as Wilbur swung at him, though he met the next strike with the head of his axe. The two fought mercilessly, but Wilbur had the upper hand being invisible. He swept Quackity’s feet from beneath him, sending him to the ground. Without hesitance, he slammed the heel of his boot against Quackity’s wrist, making the man shout.

Another bolt whizzed past Wilbur’s ear. He spun away from the next one, turning toward his next assailant. He ran in a zigzag pattern, dodging the bolts again and again. His hand came down on the crossbow, sending the final bolt into the wooden blanks beneath their feet. Wilbur swung his blade at the archer’s neck…

...Only to pause at the sight of who he had nearly beheaded.

Fundy glared at him, his lips drawn back in a snarl and ears pinned against his head. His fur was spiked up, his tail twice its normal size, and a growl rumbled in his chest. His claws twitched, and Wilbur swiftly caught his free wrist before he could try anything.

“So what’re you here for?” Fundy spat. “To kill us? To destroy L’Manburg? You’re just a pawn to Technoblade, you know. He doesn’t care about anyone. He proved that after he destroyed this place!”

Wilbur was silent, his gaze darkening. That only seemed to upset Fundy more. “What? You’re not gonna say anything? Why don’t you just kill me, then? Clearly you’re not up for conversation!”

Wilbur leaned away from his son, shifting backward. He slowly lowered his blade but made no move to sheath it. Fundy growled, his gaze drifting past Wilbur.

He spun away from Quackity’s axe, watching as it  _ thunked _ into the wood. Quackity yanked it out harshly and turned to Wilbur, his eyes burning with vengeance. He was using his nondominant hand. Good, good. This was good.

Wilbur danced away from the swinging blade, backing toward the tunnel he emerged from. If he could just get out of L’Manburg, he’d be able to make a break for the Community Portal. Of course, that was easier said than done. While the country was small compared to the Dream Smp, it wasn’t anything to sneeze at, either. He was lucky he was caught near the border, otherwise he’d be in much more trouble.

After goading Quackity to swing at a wooden pillar, Wilbur turned tail and  _ ran _ . Most bystanders were smart and parted at the sight of the netherite sword. Anyone else was shoved harshly aside. Fundy shouted that he had to be caught, but everyone was too shocked to do anything.

He was nearly there when Tubbo lunged at him, clinging to his arm like a tick. Wilbur stumbled and nearly fell off the stairs, but Tubbo was smart enough to drag Wilbur back toward the center of the path. Wilbur spun in circles as he attempted to wretch his arm from Tubbo’s grip. As determined as Tubbo was, he quickly let go when the netherite blade swiped his shoulder.

Wilbur ran as fast as he could, but he was beginning to tire. He hated to admit it, but Techno was right about him being weak from eating so little. Even back in the days of Pogtopia, he had never been fighting so many on his own. He had allies then, but right now he felt like a criminal.

His breathing was ragged when he finally reached the portal. He hated that he couldn’t even relax when he stepped into the Nether. Enemies still lurked about. He was only safe when he stepped into the arctic expanse, the cold air stinging his wounds. He took a moment to breathe, then continued to the cabin.

By the time he arrived, his invisibility had worn off. He stumbled through the front door and began rifling through the chests for a regen potion. Tommy poked his head from the kitchen, looking suspiciously guilty.

“Oh, good. It’s just you,” He said, taking another bite of a golden apple. Wilbur rolled his eyes. “Where’s Phil and Techno? I thought you three would be together when you got back.”

“I was distracting everyone while Techno broke Phil out,” Wilbur explained. “We expected to get back at different times.”

“That’s kinda shitty of him, innit?” Tommy said, his brows furrowing. “You could’ve been killed!”

“That was a risk I was willing to make.” Tommy balked.

“Why are you so willing to die for things?” He exclaimed. “I care about Phil, I really do, but I wouldn’t fucking  _ die _ for him!”

Wilbur sighed and shook his head. “Tommy, I died with L’Manburg. I haven’t felt alive since we lost the election. And trust me, I  _ tried _ . I tried so, so hard to keep living. But it’s gotten harder and harder every day.

“It’s not that I care too much, or that I have no sense of self preservation. I knew the risks every time I went into danger, and I accepted them. It’s as simple as that.”

Tommy blinked. He knew Wilbur was in a bad place mentally, but such a confession was… startling. This wasn’t like when he claimed to be the bad guy, or his speech when he showed Tommy and Quackity the button room. This was a somber, heartbreaking confession.

And Tommy hated how much he understood.

He sat beside Wilbur, watching as he dressed his wounds. It was quiet for some time as Tommy attempted to put his thoughts into words. He just didn’t know how to admit what happened in exile. He couldn’t explain how he felt hope drain from him every second of every drain, how the color faded from his eyes.

“Wilbur, I--”  
  
The door swung open, hooves and talons thumping against the wooden floor. Wilbur and Tommy both turned their gazes to the newcomers.

“Wilbur?”

“Phil…”

The air was full of tension, no one willing to move. Wilbur and Phil couldn’t tear their eyes away from each other. Tommy could practically see the euphoria and despair in Phil’s eyes.

“You’re… alive?”

“Yeah. I am.”

“Wilbur.” Philza approached his son, who warily stood. Wilbur was stuck in place, looking like he’d flee any moment. He was frozen as Phil pulled him into a crushing hug.

“Wilbur… My son, my dear son, I’m so sorry.” Phil brushed Wilbur’s hair away from his face, gazing at his dark eyes. “I’m sorry, Will. I shouldn’t have-- I--”

“I hope this is an apology for not being able to do the  _ one thing _ I asked.”

“What?”

Wilbur tore himself from Phil’s arms, his eyes dark with anger.

“You heard me,” He spat. “It was a simple request. Just one thing.  _ One thing _ , and you couldn’t even do that! I wanted to  _ die _ in that room, Phil. Why couldn’t you just kill me?”

“Wil--”

“ _ No!  _ No, I don’t even want to  _ hear _ your excuses. You’re selfish, you know that? You’re  _ so _ selfish! I just wanted to go down with L’Manburg. That’s what was supposed to happen. I wasn’t even supposed to survive the explosion! I--”

“That’s enough, Wilbur!” Techno snapped, his teeth bared. “You’ve said enough. Just take care of your arm. Phil, come with me.”

Techno stomped into the kitchen. Phil hesitated before following, his eyes obviously misty. Wilbur only scoffed before returning to the couch. Tommy frowned, looking between Wilbur and the door leading to the kitchen. Eventually, he sighed and headed downstairs. He was going to his room.

“I fucked up, Techno,” Phil muttered, his voice thick with emotion. His head was in his hands, but Techno didn’t need to see to know he was on the verge of tears. “I ruined everything, didn’t I? Should I have been more insistent in stopping him? Should I have refused to kill him? Maybe I could’ve showed up sooner to stop him. I don’t know…”

“Phil, I’m gonna be honest, these what ifs won’t get you anywhere.” Techno put the tea kettle on the stove, poking at the fire. “You can wonder how you could’ve done things differently all you want, but it won’t do any good. You’ve gotta deal with the consequences, no matter what they are.”

Phil huffed a humorless laugh. “That sounds like advice I’d give.”

“It is, but I think it’s important you hear it from someone other than yourself.” Techno sat opposite from Phil, shedding his cloak and breathing a sigh. “Look, I don’t think there’s anythin’ you could’ve done that would’ve made Wilbur happy. Not immediately, anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… As great as it is that Wilbur and I are  _ finally _ gettin’ along, this isn’t the Wilbur I want to get along with. He’s sick, and as fun as he is as an anarchist, I don’t think it’s right.”

“What do you think we should do?” Phil asked, raising his head. His eyes were glassy with unshed tears. He was really doing his best to seem strong, but Techno knew the facade wouldn’t last.

“For now, we should just… be there for him, I guess. I dunno the first thing about mental health, so that’s the best  _ I _ can think of.”

The two sat in silence as they waited for the tea to finish brewing. This wasn’t the easiest situation to be in. It wasn’t like they could just  _ find _ a therapist, either, considering they were all technically criminals.

The kettle whistled, and Techno got up to pour himself and Phil some tea. Phil eagerly accepted the drink. Techno sighed, massaging between his eyes.

“Sorry ‘bout all this, Phil. I was hopin’ your reunion with Wilbur wouldn’t go so badly.”

“It’s not your fault, Techno. I doubt any of us planned for things to go like this, y’know?”

“Yeah. Let’s just hope things get better from here.”

“Mhm.”

**\---**

“Tubbo? Are you alright?”

Ranboo stepped into the president’s office, brows furrowed with concern. Tubbo sat alone, exhausted out of his mind. His nose was swollen and eye bruised. Apparently the invisible assailant had broken his nose. Ranboo could only imagine how that felt.

“Hey, Ranboo,” Tubbo murmured, looking up from his desk. “I’m alright, just tired.”

“Really?” Ranboo raised a brow. “You don’t seem okay.” He strode to Tubbo’s side, who turned back to the desk.

“It’s just… so much happened today, and I had no control of the situation,” Tubbo said. “While we were fighting some invisible man, Philza escaped. How couldn’t I tell it was a distraction? It’s so obvious!”

“In hindsight, it is,” Ranboo agreed with a nod. “But in the moment, there was an invisible person with netherite gear in L’Manburg. You guys were just trying to keep everyone safe. You shouldn’t blame yourself for that.”

“I know, Ranboo, it’s just that I’ve been really put on the spot here. People look to me to keep L’Manburg safe, and I can’t even keep public enemy number one out!”

“It’s Technoblade we’re talking about. You can’t keep him out if you tried.”

“Yeah, I know, but I feel like I should’ve done more to protect us. I mean, whoever we fought broke Quackity’s wrist and nearly killed Fundy! If I can’t even protect the people closest to me, what does it mean for the rest of L’Manburg’s citizens?”

Ranboo sighed and rested a hand on Tubbo’s uninjured shoulder. Though the invisible assailant hadn’t done serious damage to his shoulder, Ranboo didn’t want to risk hurting him. “I think it means that you need to take what you learned from today and use that knowledge to do better.”

Tubbo nodded. “Mmm, you’re right. I guess we should start with upping security, especially at the borders. Maybe we can create a barrier that gets rid of potion effects to stop him sneaking in using invisibility potions, but I don’t know the first thing about magic.”

“Small steps, Tubbo. Small steps. We can work on the security for now, alright?”

“Alright…” Tubbo stood and made his way out of the office. “When Quackity’s doing better, could you ask him to set up some patrols around the border? Especially by the Community Portal.”

“Okay, Tubbo. Stay safe.”

“You too, Ranboo.”

The two parted ways, and Tubbo sighed deeply. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He was trying so hard, yet everything was going wrong. What kind of president couldn’t even protect himself?

He wished Wilbur was here to guide him. Not the Wilbur that wanted to destroy L’Manburg, but the Wilbur that fought tyranny and built a nation. He needed the Wilbur that would die for his country, not with it.

Why did everything have to go so wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who skipped:
> 
> Wilbur and Tommy have a rather short discussion about Wilbur's mental health, Wilbur and Phil get into a fight, and Phil laments the fact he couldn't help his son while Techno offers some advice.


End file.
